Language / spelling

Most of the people on the island of Savu speak Indonesian (Bahasa Indonesia) and / or the local language, Savunese or Lii Hawu. A few people speak a minimum of English. The island is called Hawu in the local language, Sabu in Indonesian and Savu in English. The spelling Sawu, which is also found, is derived from the Dutch (Sawoe) in which the letter /w/ corresponds to the letter /v/ in English. The inhabitants are Do Hawu in the local language, or orang Sabu in Indonesian, and they are the Savu people or the Savunese in English.

Lii Hawu belongs to the Austronesian group of languages and its Central Malayo Polynesian (CMP) subgroup. Variants of Lii Hawu are spoken on islands where important communities of Savu people have established themselves, for instance in Kupang, (Timor), East Sumba and Ende (Flores).

Lii Hawu does not have the letters /f/ and /s/, the latter being replaced by /h/. However in Dutch manuscripts from the 17thcentury, the names of the island and of its inhabitants are spelt using the letter /s/, indicating that the change to /h/ occurred during colonial times. The first list of Lii Hawu words (with translation into English) was established by Sydney Parkinson from Captain Cook’s expedition on the Endeavour. The list contains some 250 words written with English orthography; it too uses the letter /s/.

team of researchers under the leadership of Dr. Chuck Grimes has been documenting the Savu language, Lii Hawu, since 2000 and a dictionary of vernacular terms has been published on-line with translations into Bahasa Indonesia and English. See www.e-kamus2.org(dictionaries Hawu). It is a work-in-progress and the dictionary will be augmented from time to time.

The glossary given below was produced for Palm blossoms of Savu / Bunga Palem dari Sabu (G. Duggan, 2010) and refers more specifically to weaving traditions and ceremonies related to textiles. It follows the spelling of the on-line dictionary.

Glossary

Li Hawu

Bahasa Indonesia

English

a

a’a

kakak

elder sibling

ae

banyak, besar, lebat

many, much, great, big

aj’u

kayu, pohon

wood, tree

aj’u tegida

kayu tegida (kayu dadap)

tegida wood (erythryna orientalis)

aj’u genu

.

heddle stick

ama /ma

bapak /ayah

father

ana

anak

child

ari

adik

younger sibling

aru

delapan

eight

b ; b’

bèka

sambungan tengah sarung

middle seam of sarong.

bèla

luas, lebar

large, wide

bèni

perempuan ;

woman; also female name

èpu bèni

nenek ;

grandmother; ancestress

bèni menanu

wanita penenun

female weaver; master weaver

b’ab’a ;

pendek, rendah;

short; low;

èi b’ab’a

sarung pendek untuk jasad seorang perempuan di Mesara

short sarong for corpse of women in Mesara

d ; d’

dao

nila / tarum / tom

indigo

dini

motif kecil di bagian ujung sarung

small motif on the end part of the tubeskirt

d’ab’a

upacara permandian adat; nama bulan di calendar adat

traditional baptism; also name of a month of the ceremonial calendar

d’ue

dua

two

d’ula

tempat makan/dulang; dibuat dari cabang pohon lontar

basket/ container made of the stem of an areca tree branch; dish, plate, tray

e ; è

èhu

pusat / puser

navel

1. èi

air

water;

èi mada

mata air; sumur

source

2. èi

sarung

tubular cloth for women; sarong

èi lèko wue

sarung pertama anak perempuan

first tubeskirt worn by a girl.

hi’i lèko wue

selimut pertama anak laki-laki

first loin cloth worn by a boy

èi wopudi

sarung anak (tanpa motif ikat)

child sarong which has not yet ikat motifs.

èi mea

sarung merah (kramat)

red tubeskirt; powerful cloth for a deceased woman

èki /èke

ikat, mengikat

to tie, to connect

( tali)

(lihat: tali: mengikat benang sebelum mencelup untuk membuat motif)

(technique of tying cotton threads to create a motif before dye process)